MICHIGAN STUDENTS WIN ROBOTICS COMPETITION
UTICA, Mich. — A group of students from Utica recently won an
international robotics competition in Atlanta, according to The
Detroit News.

The students competed against 340 other teams from the U.S.,
Europe, South America and the Middle East at the FIRST (For
Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics
Competition.

The team of 34 students was assisted by teachers from the Utica
Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology, as well as a
group of engineering professionals. The same parts were given to
each team, which then had six weeks to design and build a remote-control robot. The robots then had to meet a series of tests,
including navigations by video camera.

"We try to have the students do as much of the work as possible
and just learn from us," Ed Debler, a retired Ford engineer and
team mentor, told The News.

MONTAGUE TEACHERS APPROVE MESSA CHANGES
MONTAGUE, Mich. — Teachers in Montague Public Schools will pay
more if they want to keep a costly version of union health
insurance, according to The Muskegon Chronicle.

The teachers will pay almost $1,200 out of pocket to keep Super
Care 1 offered through the Michigan Education Special Services
Association, The Chronicle reported. MESSA is a third-party
administrator affiliated with the Michigan Education Association
union. Teachers have the option of switching to Choices II, also
offered through MESSA. Those who keep Super Care 1 also will pay
half of any cost increases during the four-year contract.

The district, which is facing a $454,000 budget deficit, expects
to save about $80,000 with the insurance change, according to The
Chronicle. Teachers will receive 1 percent raises each year
during the contract.

"We thought it was a fair and reasonable settlement in regard to
the times and financial aspects of the district," teacher Van
Lawrence, lead negotiator for the union, told The Chronicle. "We're concerned about the long-term financial health of the
district as well."

HAMILTON LOOKING AT TRIMESTERS
HOLLAND, Mich. — Hamilton High School could move to a trimester
schedule by the fall of 2007, according to the Holland Sentinel.

The schedule change would allow students to take 60 classes in
four years of high school, including electives, while also
meeting new state-mandated course requirements, the Sentinel
reported.

"I don't think I'm speaking out of turn if I say that we have
reservations and there are still questions," school board
President JoAnn DeJonge said, according to the Sentinel. "But the
reality is with the new state standards, we'll never go back to
the way things are done now."

The district will study the issue, including learning retention
and failure rates, and could vote on the proposal in October, the
Sentinel reported.

MEA OPPOSES GOVERNOR ON PARENT NOTIFICATION BILL
Lansing, Mich. — The Michigan Education Association union and
Gov. Jennifer Granholm are at odds over legislation that would
require teachers to notify parents when their children are
struggling academically, according to The Detroit News.

House Bill 6151 would require teachers to notify parents by phone
or e-mail, The News reported. The notification also would include
an invitation to meet with the parents, according to
MichiganVotes.org.

"If I had a child struggling in class, I would want to be
notified," Granholm said in support of the bill, The News
reported. "This empowers parents to make sure their children are
successful."

The largest teachers union in the state, however, said Granholm's
office did not tell them the legislation was going to be
introduced.

Senate Bill 1296 would allow districts to create single-gender
schools or classes, or programs within existing schools, as long
as comparable offerings are available to boys and girls,
according to
MichiganVotes.org.

Opponents say creating separate programs is unconstitutional.

"Shouldn't we be focusing public resources on helping all kids in
all schools?" asked Sen. Liz Brater, D-Ann Arbor, according to
Booth.

Detroit attorney George Butler told Booth that federal law allows
single-gender programs if there are options for all-male, all-female and co-ed classes.

"You can't impose it, you can't require it and you can't do
anything less than offer all three options," Butler told Booth.

Supporters also see the issue as one of giving parents more
choices in how to best educate their children.

"I don't view this as discrimination," Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, told Booth. "I view this as a choice parents are making
in the best interests of their sons or daughters."

MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (http://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper
with a circulation of nearly 150,000 published by the Mackinac
Center for Public Policy (http://www.mackinac.org),
a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.